NATURE STUDY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 December 1924, Page 16

NATURE STUDY.

NO i AND C.-O-M-MDN.S

(“Hbri.’') iielore uiiwtlief cam u million to the.se rriiimns appears m print 'the ‘ lescivitl i.i. <Ju; mi.w ; i 1 1 have been eoiobraiea, and the term ct hoiiuays lor many wlib. arc ini tuliu-ie enough t.; gain tins privilege will be in j) mg less. Emm a ; .Nabtne suuiupoiut, lmw vastly dil-l-eient are the conditions existing at Chii tmas time in the Antipodes Iruni those ot the Mother Country. The babies a lew tlays ago recorded, the visitation of a'very heavy Cog which settled like a p'l'll over the city of .London, and interfered very seritWly with tlie traitic. The majority of the AH Blacks will for the first time ex--110,101160 a Chris t-ihas under entirely uiiieient circumstances from those to which they have from childhood been accustomed. While we are enjoying days of Sunshine and. long evenings the (Mu Wor.d asc limes a sombre and g.-ey. appealauce'; tne trees are in theirwinter sieep, and die birds a,e on reduced rations owing to the scarcity of insect Tile-.. New Zealanders are able to, enjoy holidays under entirely, dissimilar coiuiilions. All Nature at the piesenl time is asserting itself, and as 'it were is at the zenith of its than De-station of loveliness. The trees are in full leaf, some of which, more especially those endemic of New Zealand, a_ie assuming that beautiful gi/eeh tinge that so many are noted for. The tiboki (or New Zealand oak), the malice' , and the native beeches in particular might be mentioned as very striking at this time of the year.

That glorious tree that heralds the Christmas >. period, the pohutukawa fhietresideros tomentu.sa) away up iii the North will be a blaze of red cdlonr, though a few weeks later in blooming in most parts of Taranaki. Whe.<y on a vit.it to the- Great Barrier Island some years .ago the writer was'particularly struck with the great number' of these specimens of the myrtle family growing so near to the seashore, exposed to the elements and established in all sorts of impossible dlrices:. The trunk#* assume large dimensions and are . generally vow gnarled - and twisted. The tree is considered . to be ,the most •magnificent, in New Zealand flora. Many. n<'otibt; wi ! i euiyv their Christmas holidays under the shade of these-beauti-ful. trees.

ft : is somewhat , soon for the rata (meti-c.sidcfous rofcuista) tel be in bloom. There are many down in the Hokoineko- Gorge, oj,- used to- be yearagb. -: They lire another member of tjl'e myrtle family. , Next to the pbhutukawa the reel rata is hot. a. great deni behind its sister tree in point pi magnilif.ence. but grows to greater dimensions,. being ’.sometimes ten feelin diameter. . ■; /

Unfortunately so much of the busk has been destroyed iii these park chat the pleasure of a holiday spent under tile shade of the bush has tong siiice been denied us near at ha inf, and though we have to travel many miles ,to enjoy this privilege, the journey, for instance, to our own majestic sentinel, Mt. Ggmont, is "well worth while. it is) always pleasing to those living iii Taranaki who look upoi; tLia.fc nioiuiment of Nature with pride to hear! visitors from other part'of the world acclaiming the beauties of our mountain. Recently one of the members of the partjy from VvTocoiisiii (Trolessor . Macklin) remarked that he could not keep his eyes prr it. i'nere tne student of nature iiiay rind a Very great aeal to interest him bbtanicaily n inclined that way. Lie may enjoy tire quietude of this rendezvous. A ,ueep stillness peivades the whole Scene ol a- ramble ri the bush,' ; undisturbed, perhaps, excepting '.by 'the occasional'call oc a hire, of - the .flutter of a native pigeon. Nevertheless, if we only could hem what is really,-taking place dprin'g the period when Nature is, as it were, at the livish of its activities, we are told that what appears, to us as stillness really were we able to hear what is going, on in the plant kingdom all the ime we' would be simply amazed. Huxley once said, in referring to the physical basis or plant life, that the wonderful noonday silence of a tropical forest, is. after all, due only to thedulness of our hearing; and could oui ears catch the murmur of these tiny maelstroms (the rising of the sap, as it were) as they, whirl in the lnuumer:tble' myriads of living cells which con--titute each tree we should be stunned ns with tbe roar of a big city. Since these lines were written this statement has been exemplified as it were through the discovery of wireless telegraphy. A person with normal bearing is able In hear the slightest sound that takes place which his eaff can pick up, hut how dull it really must be when we consider bow a- radio message nomine nerhans hundreds of ores and transmitted to an amplifier is capable of being heard so distinctly.

aow Zealand is noted lor the nurauei- ui .lighuoxs-- bicus that a.e ussoi.»cea wlwi iu, uiuivo luuua. Though *o..g since e-uind Lite moa was a bird, but those at present iif e.-dsleiiiv iuemde the kiwi, the rails, the penguins, and the weka. Thctaus on*y take to nip,in when pursue*, by dogs . it is with the weka tiru most people are moie familiar, and bi.i.-;hsueti ielate how, intelligent ant odd there .little, fellows used, tn be when ermpe were pitched in the bust. . ’’ring the. days of bmhfeiling. They were noted for their thieving habits and were never particular as to what they carried off, having, it is known, i penchant for anything Ini -lit, looking. Referring to the vagaries of the •vciloi. a, cor-e.snoii'ient to the fdouthif>.nd Times relates that it does licit stop short at stealing inauimat'’ tbit imp A Lady on the Milford Track vie fondling I little fluffy miradisn ducklings which she caught in the grass on the track', and one of there wvi'T'ded mil, ol her hand. A weka., which was near. instantlv p-'unred on the ohick and carried it off into the bush, nn doubt with the ob : eet of eating it. Native birds are known La guard their eggs from the

attentions of the weka, but apparently their young require shielding also in the earlier stages.

Blackbirds, and other birds, too, are very fond of a shower bath on a hot clay (says tli.e Lyttleton Times). A few days ago numerous sprinklers were at work on.the city lawns, and they suggested tantalising visions of cool bath* to the users of the hot ami dust;, roads. The birds, however, knew no restrictions of chess or property, and they had bathing carnivals about the enticing sprays. On a lawn at St. Andrew's College -50 or 60 blackbirds were merry, and leally had the time of their lives. They fluttered through the cooling fountains, ran about in the water, and

apparently found the most exquisite enjo-.riient in getting thoroughly soaked. The bath was accompanied by the most riotous bird calls, and the 'scene lesembled nothing so much as a crowd of youngsters enjoying a dip in the brinv.

During the winter or colder months the wood borer is a small, white worm During the warmer months of spring it changes and becomes dormant. About December, if the weather is warm, it comes to life as a fly, like a ladybird, only very much smaller. As the month gets older the fly leaves his hole, and, fhing about, males on the wing, and then returns to a hole and lays from six to 10 eggs. Afterwards the fly disappears. The eggs mature in a few days, becoming worms with two. small saws in front to bore mto the wood. Underneath and between their legs is a bag or pouch into winch they push the dust which is <]is-cha-ged.. lo kill the flv before it leaves t.ie hole, the wood should he washed ovei ith a. mixture of kerosene, mothyhited spirits, and creosote —twic' l as mirh of the first two as the la,st—-twice a week during December and January.

A resident of the town has been interested in watching the regular visits ot a. blackbird with white head every morning to his garden to get any scraps or crumbs. It has become quite ■ nendly and seems to appreciate verymuch any ■ attention given.

A fish with a ticket for a dance in its possession would seem to be something of a rarity, but a curious lind of this nature was made a!few da.vs ago. states the Express, by a Blenheim fishing party off the month of the Awatere. They hooked a large groper, and on opening it- up discovered in its interior a yellow 5s ticket entitling the holder to admission to a dance at Hamilton. The date on which the dance was held, or was to be held, had been obliterated.

Some 12 months back the secretary of the New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society stated .that when a natiie pigeon was reported as sitting on the: General Post Office, Wellington, the work of the society- could be considered to be in a very forward condition. There is no valid reason why this bird should not be at least a frequent visitor even to our larger towns, except that it is harassed and driven back, says the journal issued under the auspices of the. . society. Most people would love to see pigeons and other native birds amongst us, and, with the increased regard evi-denced-'by. tlie public for our native fife, the time may- not be so far distant as some people think, especially with more native tree plantations than at present. It is only the work of a few va’ndals which-prevents our pigeons coming closer to habitationsand every right-thinking person’s hand should he against these few. Most birds have an extraordinary' instinct to return to the nesting places of even their distant forebears, and a native pigeon has already been :in evidence right in Wellington cti.v. Public interest and action are all thatns required to obtain good conservation laws and compel efokent administration of such laws.

Several sparrows have made fast friends with the men stationed at headquarters in Cumberland street Dunedin. One bird ih particular, which is now the mother, of "several young, has become so friendly that she accepts dainty morsels from the hands of the men ibis bird has a nest in the wall -it Hudson’s building directly opposite the Centra] Pi re Station. Entrance is obtained to the nest by means of a small hole of just sufficient size - to allow the passage of the sparrow’s uody. At all hours of the day the bird will emerge from the opening, and -should any of the men be in sight she immediately takes a short flight and lands at the feet of the man wlio -m PP ?. US to be tempting hex- with food. 1 lie iiremen spend some of their spare time in catching moths, of which the oird is particularly fond, and sh e will aop on to any of the outstretched hands m her eagerness to secure sucll a morsel Once she has a moth secure in he,- fieax she quickly returns to her offsprings with the dainty titbit The bid will fly into the ' watch room and otner parts' of the station if none of her benefactors are in sight. The male bird ha s also become very tame anc! ■'omes quite close to the' men in the 'Gaich for food. Both birds, naturally lave, become great pets with the men at headquarters.

Buds are the most perfect builders, and strange, as it may sound—there is scarcely a trade that you will not find represented among these feathered ,1 aftsmen. Many of the nests of Britisn birds are marvels of ingenuity, but then- greatest efforts pale beside the wonders o ffche tropics. Weavers, carpenters, tailors, plasterers, tunnellers, these are but-a few o.f the many trades hat are practised in full swing when the nesting season arrives. The sand martin and the kingfisher both belong to the guild of tunnellers,' and are content with a burrowed hole. ' Ducks, gulls, waterher.s, and corncrakes are all pi motive builders, with no ideas beyond a rough and ready collection of in ate Ila Is looseiv thrown together on the ground. The house swallow is a plasterer, employing as his building materials nothing more than mud, hut >|it of this he contrives to erect a nest coat is wonderfully strong, and put to■f'u iej • " great neatness and care. 1 i.e singing thrush uses more varied •nateriais, a mixture of clav, cow Manure and mess, but well and truly aiv,. and forming a splendid home for c. e v oung birds. The commonest form *r nest that built by crows, missel .lushes, etc.—is rather like a basket. Ihe bullfinch a felt-worker. Not ■■ontent with a mere basket or cradle ''o contain the ears and voting, the vren, am! tit place a roof overhead, and construct a door at the side, through which entrance i« obtained. One of the most curious '"families cf this tvoe of nest is that of the titmouse, which is strangelv like a bottle in shape.